hi guys,
a few questions if i can please,i have done a bit of fishing in the past but really am probably the worst fisherman going around so hence the post.
i am really lucky to have yellow fin whiting literally swim straight past my door (twenty feet)and i have been getting a good feed of late with bait but would love to get into lures.
my reasons for this as the wife and i love caravanning and i thought not having to worry about bait all the time would be a huge plus.
so a few questions please i need a good 7' rod,a good lure and some even better advice.
i have a brand new shimano sedona 2500 in the cupboard and need to get a cheap spinning rod to suit.i just want to experiment first up. i have read about the bass day sugar pen hf119 but you just can't buy them ,any other ideas?
i have some 12 pound braid will that surfice?
another question please can someone explain what a leader is and how to set it up?
last but not least, the incoming tide travels right to left and i would like to cast from the left and retrieve to the right coming back against the tide would this be ok?
thanks a lot
paul

hi guys,
a few questions if i can please,i have done a bit of fishing in the past but really am probably the worst fisherman going around so hence the post.
i am really lucky to have yellow fin whiting literally swim straight past my door (twenty feet)and i have been getting a good feed of late with bait but would love to get into lures.
my reasons for this as the wife and i love caravanning and i thought not having to worry about bait all the time would be a huge plus.
so a few questions please i need a good 7' rod,a good lure and some even better advice.
i have a brand new shimano sedona 2500 in the cupboard and need to get a cheap spinning rod to suit.i just want to experiment first up. i have read about the bass day sugar pen hf119 but you just can't buy them ,any other ideas?
i have some 12 pound braid will that surfice?
another question please can someone explain what a leader is and how to set it up?
last but not least, the incoming tide travels right to left and i would like to cast from the left and retrieve to the right coming back against the tide would this be ok?
thanks a lot
paul

Gday Paul - I've never fished for sand whiting but I've got a couple of King George on Gulp 6 inch worm.

While you are waiting for the Popper guys to reply - you might want to watch some of these youtube vids - Plenty of tips - And Judging by the presenters - they wont be shy on recommending some of shimano's finest popping out fits

Whats your budget for the rod? Sugapens are good but take a bit of work getting used to the technique. Poppers like the atomic pop 50 are also worth trying out. They track in a straight line and in my opinion make hooking up a bit easier. That new sugapen colour C264 looks great. If you are still after the hf119 they are available online. Sen me a pm and I'll give you the link. Last time I put a shops name up I got black marked so not sure Its allowed.

Iíll answer a few of your other questions about geese set up, although others may have different thoughts. 12lb braid might be a bit more than you need. It depends on a manufacturer a bit as braid advertised as 12lb might actually break closer to 20 (hello Fins). Iíd say 6-8lb will be fine.

A leader is a thin bit of (usually) fluorocarbon line you tie to the end of the braid. Itís clear and tends to be more supple so it helps a lot with finesse fishing as youíre less likely to scare the fish. You would typically have about 5 or so feet of it. You tie your lure to the end of it. I usually have it a lower breaking strain than the main line, but this varies from person to person and site to site. For example, you might want higher breaking strain if casting around rocks or oyster racks or anything else thatís a bit abrasive on the line.

Your idea Re the direction to cast is fine, although larger fish often sit their facing the current so your lure might be coming up behind them, so Iíd mix it up. I donít think itís a matter of one way not working. id try your way and the other way and see what works. Doing it your way will prob be easier to control the lure though depending on how fast the current is.

I’ll do my best to assist but unfortunately I’ve yet to catch Whiting on lures, then again I’ve not put much effort in to it either.
What I do know is you’ll have a lot more fun with a 1-3kg rod, a 1000 size reel, I like the Shimano Sienna it’s cheap and a great reel. I think the lighter the line the better you’ll do, I would go 6lb braid with a 4lb leader. Unfortunately I don’t know what sort of leader would be best but I’d suggest a line that floats.

Your 2000 size reel will be awesome for Salmon, I used a 2500 last season and had no problems pulling in Salmon over 800. I also use a 2000 size reel when Bream fishing in heavy snags so I can skull drag them out of the snag before they wrap me up.

G,day, I've been surface luring for whiting for a while now, you're setup, 7ft rod and reel will be fine lighter braid 4lb and leader 4lb or 6lb mono or fluorocarbon will work. For lures there is lots that catch whiting, my preferance is the sugarpen hf119 it just works, another one that's been cleaning up lately the zipbaits skinny pop jr70mm for me. Retrieve,s. Use the wind!!! Get it behind you're back and cast up and gain more distance, with sugarpens I keep the retrieve constant walking into the windchop skinnys more of a short light ripping retrieve, really look hard at the wake just behind the lure for changes this is when a sneeaky pause can make the difference be warned this is highly addictive.

Hey,
I think lure colours are fairly often designed to catch fishermen more than fish, especially topwaters.
Think about what a fish can actually see when looking up into the bright sky...something either dark, shiny or semi transperent.
Line I'd recommend 4-6lb braid and whatever leader tickles your fancy but keep it short. Long fc leaders can sink down and bog out the lure. To clarify, braid is a line made of multiple strands braided together and is highly visible with good strength but poor abrasion resistant...a leader is often flurocarbon or mono and is the oppoaite to braid. These are joined by a variety of knots..google is ur friend here
A rod that is aroubd 6ft 6 to 7ft 6 is perfect.

__________________
Fishing wasn't meant to be easy, otherwise it would be called catching.

Light 7 ft setup is fine with PE 0.8 main line braid, any surface lure as long as u can cover good distance. And Heavy leader, some go as high as 20lb, the secret is to keep it moving and tracking as straight as possible hench the heavy leader.
Good Luck

hi guys and sorry that i haven't posted in a while but i switched to fishing with bait in the winter high tides.
well i have the bug again and rigged up a really cheap rod i bought at wollies in perth just for the caravan,when i got home i put the sugar pen on and bang 30cm whiting and i just can't get enough of using the lure.
now the day i got my first fish i missed another 4,really frustrating.
the next tree or 4 times i lure the fish right up to about 10 feet but they just want hit it.
i figure that obviously the rod has to go,I'm looking at a katana 2-4kg 7feet.
have bought 6lb braid and will fit a 6foot leader in 10lb.
i have bought a sea night raid 2000 off the net to start and good to go.
do you think the cheap rod and reel and line may have been the cause of the not strikes?
my last posts i bought all new gear but have left that all set up for bait fishing.
every time i have used the lure has been on out going tides an in a small channel
and not flats could this also been hindering my progress.
any help would be great
regards paul